Locators for drywall fasteners

ABSTRACT

A locator assembly including a bit holder for driving screws to secure drywall panels on metal or wood studs has a locator sleeve provided with a nose having a vent design which includes an angularly outwardly sloping wall with a sharp edge to peel off the powder from the bit holder, and an angularly rearwardly sloping wall to dispel falling powder when screws are being inserted vertically.

United States Patent 1 Lafferty, Sr.

54] LOCATORS FOR DRYWALL FASTENERS v [75 inventor: '1 Gary S A Laflerty, 7 Sr; M ilwaulEee,

Wis. 53209 [73] Assignee: Milwaukee l i lectnic Tool Corporation, Brookfield, Wis.

[21] Appl. No.: 170,061

52 us. Cl 444 32 [51] Int. Cl. .3251) 23/08 [58] Field of Search ..l44/32 [56] References Cited v UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,940,488 6/l960 Riley ..l44/32 i 1 Jan. 16, 1973 Sindelar ..l44/32 Falter 144/32 Primary ExaminerDonald R. Schran Attorney-John W. Michael et al.

[57] ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures LOCATORS FOR DRYWALL FASTENERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an improved depth adjuster for electric powered hand tools of the type designed to apply self tapping drywall fasteners. During the driving of such fasteners through the drywall panel a powder or dust of gypsum or'otherv abrasive material is dislodged and falls or works its way into the nose of the locator sleeve and then into other parts of the driving mechanisms and eventually fouls such mechanisms.

2. Description of the Prior Art A depth adjuster for positive clutch electric powered hand tools is shown and described in the copending application of Gary S. Lafferty, Sr. entitled DEPTH AD- .IUSTERS AND INTERCHANGEABLE LOCATORS FOR SCREW DRIVERS. Such application describes in detail a standard locator sleeve having a nose adapted to drive self tapping hex headed fasteners. It does not contain any detailed description of a locator sleeve having a nose adapted for driving drywall fasteners. However suchapplication describes in detail the construction and arrangement of all-the other components with which the drywall locator embodying the present invention cooperates.

The best prior art known to applicant'is the Locator Assembly shown in the Service Parts List of Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. identified as Bill. 54 42-5102 Catalog No. 6746-1 and in Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation Catalog 1067, page 21 (copies of which are attached to be included in the file of this application). The metal locator sleeve of this prior art has a nose with four circular shaped air vents. The sides of oppositely placed vents are parallel and non-sloping. There are no sharp tips to peel off powder from the bit holder. An O-ring seated on the bore of the metal locator sleeve forms a sealing bearing between the bit holder and the bore of the sleeve. This seal gives rise to undue frictional losses and has a short useful life. The metal of such locator sleeve affected the magnetic field of the usual magnetic bit holder so thatzits ability to hold a fastener in starting position on the bit is materially weakened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWINGS In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal axial cross -section of an electric poweredhand tool having applied to it a depth adjuster including a locator sleeve embodying the present invention with the bit holder and bit shown in full;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the locator sleeve of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, there is illustrated for the purpose of describing this invention an electric powered hand drill the design of which makes it particularly suitable for driving screws of various natures. This drill has a clutch gear 10 mounted within its gear housing 11. This clutch gear receives motor driving torque through its geared teeth and transmits it to the clutch teeth. Mounted within an extending neck 13 of the gear housing is a clutch chuck 12 which is carried in a roller bearing 14. This clutch chuck has a standard non-circular bore for receiving the shank of a bit holder 16. The bit holder 16 may be magnetic or non-magnetic as required. However the bit holder 16 shown is preferably magnetic so that it will hold a metal screw I8 on the tip of the bit 20 for ease in starting the driving of the screw. Not shown is a spring which urges the clutch chuck l2 forwardly to the nondriving position shown in FIG. 1. When force is applied by the tool operator to the drill the bit holder 16 and the bit 20 forces the clutch chuck l2 rearwardly into driving position. These elements of the drill and clutch gear are well-known and are not a part of this invention. Other elements such as the locator assembly are shown and described in detail in the application of Gary S. Lafferty, Sr. entitled DEPTH ADJUSTERS AND INTERCHANGEABLE LOCATORS FOR SCREW DRIVERS. They are not a part of this invention andare shown and described to illustrate the nature of the drill and depth adjuster to which the locator sleeve of this invention is applied.

The feature of this invention is a specialized locator sleeve which is particularly designed for driving fasteners into a drywall panel. It is well-known that the application of fasteners to drywall produces a dust or powder of abrasive material which will enter the locator assembly and the driving mechanism and in due time foul up such mechanism.

The locator sleeve 22 is shaped as shown in the figures and is defined as a drywall sleeve. The mechanical elements by which it is retained in operative position in the locator assembly are identical with those of locator sleeve 32 of the aforesaid application. As special features, it hasan elongated frusto conical nose 24 and a central bore 26. The locator sleeve is a molded part formed by injector molding of a plastic known in the trade as Black Nylatron GS, a product of The Polymer Corporation. It is a -molybdenum-disulfide filled nylon, moisture stabilized at 2% water content. Four angularly spaced vents 28 extending radially from the bore 26 are molded in the nose 24 and each has the special shape-shown in the drawings. One side 30 of each vent is angled radially outwardly and the opposite side 32 of such vent is sloped with respect to the radii to I form a sharp edge 34 at the radially inward end of each vent. As shown in FIG. 3 this sharp edge 34 is in bearing contact with the bit holder 16 and under the influence of centrifugal force and the peeling action of this sharp edge 34 the dust or powder which accumulates on the outer circumference of the bit holder will be peeled off from the bit holder 16 and thrown radially outward so that it does not enter the locator assembly and the driving mechanism. A wall 36 innermost from the outer end of the nose is sloped rearwardly as shown. When the fasteners 18 are being secured in the ceiling or when the tool is held in a vertical position, the powder falling from the fastener and being scraped out by the sharp edge 34 will fall radially outward away from the vents 28.

An advantage of this invention also obtained in the depth adjuster described in the above identified eopending application is that the fact that there is a soft lubricating bearing between the bore of the plastic locator sleeve and the metal of the bit holder 16. Another incidental advantage is that the magnetic force present in a magnetic bit holder will not be lessened by the presence of the plastic molded locator sleeve and hence the full effect will be transmitted to the fastener to hold it in proper place at the starting of the drill action.

I claim:

1. A locator sleeve for a locator assembly designed for driving self tapping screws in drywall applications, said locator sleeve comprising:

a. body portion having a nose and a central longitudinally axially extending bore;

b. a bit holder rotatably mounted in said central bore;

c. a vent in said nose extending radially outwardly from said bore, said vent having a wall sloping with respect to a radial plane through saidbore; and

d. said wall at the intersection with said bore forming a sharp edge having sliding contact with said bit holder to peel off from said bit holder drywall material deposited thereon.

2. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein said vent has a second wall sloping rearwardly with respect to the outer end of said nose and radially outwardly with respect to said bore.

3. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 2 which consists of a plastic part formed by injection molding of plastic whereby said bore forms a lubricating bearing for said bit holder.

4. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 3 wherein there are four of such vents equally angularly radially spaced. 

1. A locator sleeve for a locator assembly designed for driving self tapping screws in drywall applications, said locator sleeve comprising: a. body portion having a nose and a Central longitudinally axially extending bore; b. a bit holder rotatably mounted in said central bore; c. a vent in said nose extending radially outwardly from said bore, said vent having a wall sloping with respect to a radial plane through said bore; and d. said wall at the intersection with said bore forming a sharp edge having sliding contact with said bit holder to peel off from said bit holder drywall material deposited thereon.
 2. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein said vent has a second wall sloping rearwardly with respect to the outer end of said nose and radially outwardly with respect to said bore.
 3. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 2 which consists of a plastic part formed by injection molding of plastic whereby said bore forms a lubricating bearing for said bit holder.
 4. A locator sleeve as defined in claim 3 wherein there are four of such vents equally angularly radially spaced. 